The Puppet Master [One Piece]

The End Of The War

~Echo's POV~

I lost sight of the two brothers after a few moments as they burst forth into the onslaught of marines in perfect sync. My gaze kept flitting to the sea waiting to see a familiar ship with my red-haired captain waiting to unleash an unmatched tirade down upon me.

With their morale restored thanks to Ace's release, the pirates in the bay began to fight with newfound strength and stamina. Now that their nakama was free, they found resolve once more and the marines began to look worried.

"ECHO!" Marco's voice roared from behind me and I instinctively cringed, he was pissed. Before I could scamper away, he caught me roughly by the arm and spun me about to face him, "HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND?!" He snarled.

"What are you talking abou-?"

"You could have been killed!" Marco snapped shaking me roughly.

"And you shaking me might make my brain hemorrhage." I shot as my vision began to blur.

Marco stopped shaking me and his electric blue eyes glared down at me menacingly, "That was reckless."

I couldn't help but smile at him, "Thanks for worrying about me, pineapple head."

He shook his head but wrapped his arms around me and pulled me in for a quick hug, "You have got to be the most frustrating girl on the entire planet." Marco chuckled as he released me and pat me on the head. "Try not to worry me anymore."

"I can't make any promises, I'm more of an act first think later kind of person." I beamed.

"I gathered." Marco rolled his eyes.

I chanced a glance in the direction Ace and Luffy had gone and felt my heart plummet into the pit of my stomach and my stomach take a sickening turn. Akainu was almost within reach of Ace and Luffy. "Marco!" I panicked and pointed in their direction while willing myself to move.

My world suddenly shifted and I appeared behind Ace as he stupidly turned his back to Akainu in an attempt to shield Luffy from the lava attack. I fell against Ace with a terrified squeak, my back pressed to his and frantically cast out my wires in an attempt to stop the frightening admiral. Something miraculous happened as my wires came into contact with Akainu, the lava around him began to fade. His eyes widened in awe for a fraction of a second before he recovered and lunged at me. Even without the use of his devil fruit ability he was an intimidating foe.

"Ah! Run!" I shoved Ace and the now unconscious Luffy forward as a very fearsome image of a very pissed off Shanks flashed before my eyes.

"Why are we running?!" Ace growled as he lugged Luffy's unconscious form over his shoulder and allowed me to drag him after me.

"Because lava pants is about to not be the scariest thing here." I yelped as a giant glob of lava hit the ground to our right.

"What are you talking about?!" Ace asked worried.

I spotted the obnoxious big nosed clown man floating nearby and shoved Ace in his direction as I narrowly avoided getting singed by another glob of lava, "Give Luffy to the big nose!"

"WHAT?!" Ace and Buggy shouted simultaneously.

"Trust me." I beamed as I doubled back and launched myself at Akainu with my wires in a flurry.

Ace sighed and tossed his younger brother to the seething clown man. He turned as he realized I was no longer at his side and screamed at me as he spotted me attempting to slow down Akainu with great difficulty. "ECHO!"

"RUN!" I yelled back as I lashed my wires out at Akainu's lava covered form, and just like before, the moment my wires came into contact with him, the lava dispersed.